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Massive Federal Workforce Reduction Amid Ongoing Shutdown, Vought Leads Charge
Russ Vought, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, has led major federal workforce reductions amid the ongoing government shutdown. On Friday, Vought announced on X that the office has begun issuing Reduction in Force notices, or RIFs, to an unspecified but substantial number of federal workers, according to NPR and LAist reports. An OMB spokesperson confirmed the process is underway, with details on exact numbers expected soon.
This follows President Donald Trump's meeting with Vought last week to discuss cutting Democrat-led agencies, as noted in an AOL article. Trump called it an opportunity from Democrats rejecting funding plans. Vought warned House Republicans that layoffs were one to two days away, per NBC News cited in the same report. Unions like the American Federation of Government Employees sued the administration, calling the moves unlawful.
Affected agencies include the Department of Health and Human Services, where 1,100 to 1,200 non-essential employees received notices, HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon told LAist. The White House ordered agencies to prepare for such cuts if the shutdown persists beyond September 30, 2025, an OMB memo stated via AOL.
Vought also cut $8 billion in energy projects across 16 states won by Kamala Harris in 2024, including California and New York, and paused an $18 billion climate project in New York City over diversity, equity, and inclusion principles, according to AOL. Common Dreams reports he directed the National Science Foundation to break up the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, threatening wildfire and storm predictions, per KQED.
Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, dismissed the layoffs as intimidation, vowing to fight for health care priorities like Affordable Care Act subsidies. Senator Susan Collins opposed permanent firings of furloughed workers.
These actions align with Vought's Project 2025 role advocating smaller government, amid over 200,000 civil servant departures this year, Honolulu Civil Beat noted.
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Published on 4 days, 17 hours ago